Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO)

Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) combines separate health care programs and support systems into one package. MSHO members are assigned a care coordinator who helps them get their health care and related support services. Read one MSHO member's story to find out how this program improves lives.

MSHO is administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and seven health plans.

MSHO has additional online information for stakeholders regarding stakeholder involvement and public meetings.

This study provides strong support for continued integration of Medicare and Medicaid for people eligible for both programs. The study compared the experiences of similar beneficiaries inside and outside of MSHO and found that MSHO enrollees were:

48 percent less likely to have a hospital stay, and those who were hospitalized had 26 percent fewer stays

6 percent less likely to have an outpatient emergency department visit, and those who did visit an emergency department had 38 percent fewer visits

2.7 times more likely to have visited a primary care doctor at least once in the year

A DHS summary of this study highlights the value of these impressive findings. The findings include how the evidence can be used to continue to expand and develop new models of integrated care for dually eligible individuals around the country.

MSHO and Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+) PCNLs provide a list of all the primary care providers within each health plan’s network. While all health plans provide the same benefits covered by the program you are enrolled in, they have different networks of providers who can provide those services. You can check these listings to see if your provider works with a particular plan.

If you do not see your provider listed, please contact the health plan to check if the provider is in the plan's network. The provider lists below may not list certain specialty providers. Please contact the health plan to ask if certain specialty providers are in the plan's network.

Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO)

MSHO is a voluntary managed care program that covers health care and Elderly Waiver services for people who:

Are 65 years old and over

Have Medical Assistance

Have both Medicare Parts A and B

Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+)

MSC+ is a managed care program that covers health care and Elderly Waiver services for people who:

After you enroll in MSHO, you will be assigned a care coordinator. The care coordinator will help answer your questions, work with your doctors to help you get the care you need, and help your doctors and other providers share information with each other.

If you had a county case manager for home and community-based services before enrolling in MSHO, in most cases, the care coordinator will replace the case manager.

MSHO offers the same basic benefits as Medicare and MA, but with MSHO you don't have to go to different offices for your health care needs or fill out a lot of paperwork. All of these services are combined into one program.

Your MSHO health plan is responsible for making sure you get the health care, as well as home and community-based services you need. Your health plan also will handle most of the paperwork for MA and Medicare.

Your MSHO health plan will also assign a care coordinator to you. A care coordinator can help answer your questions and help you get the health care and other services you need. The care coordinator also makes sure all of your providers, such as your primary care doctor, physical therapist, home care and hospital staff, are in contact with each other.

Yes. You may be assigned a nurse practitioner who will serve as your coordinator for primary care and other services. The nurse practitioner works with your doctor, nursing home and other health plan staff.

You can drop MSHO at any time. Just write a letter to your MSHO health plan telling them that you want to drop the program. You will be taken out of MSHO at the beginning of the next month. You cannot drop out of the program by calling. You must send a letter.

When you leave MSHO:

You will be automatically enrolled in the health plan's Minnesota Senior Care Plus (MSC+) plan for your MA services. You can ask in writing to be enrolled in the MSC+ plan you were enrolled in before MSHO.

If you currently have a medical spenddown and you choose to leave MSHO, your MA will be provided fee-for-service. You will not be enrolled in another health plan for MA services.

You also will have to choose another Part D plan for your prescription drugs.

MSHO was created by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), the state agency that oversees public health care programs. The program is overseen by DHS and the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and administered by health plans.

Connect with us

Terminology disclaimer
The terminology used to describe people with disabilities has changed over time. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (“Department”) supports the use of “People First” language. Although outmoded and offensive terms might be found within documents on the Department’s website, the Department does not endorse these terms.